U.S.-Flagged Alabama Evades Repeat Capture by Pirates
Nov. 18 (Bloomberg) — The U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama, which was seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia in April, avoided being captured a second time in a skirmish off the Horn of Africa country.
Four suspected pirates, traveling in a skiff, came within 300 yards (274 meters) of the vessel early today and used small- arms weapons in an attempt to board the ship, the U.S. Fifth Fleet, which is based in Bahrain, said in an e-mailed statement.
A security team on board the vessel used evasive maneuvers and small-arms fire to repel the attackers, it said. “The ship was able to prevent being successfully attacked” and “no injuries or damage were reported aboard,” the statement said.
The Alabama was the first U.S.-flagged ship to be hijacked by Somali pirates when it was seized on April 8. The vessel’s American crew managed to retake the vessel, before their captain, Richard Phillips, was seized by the pirates and held hostage on a lifeboat for five days. He was freed when three of his captors were shot dead by snipers aboard a U.S. Navy vessel.
Today’s incident may mark the first time a merchant ship has fought off Somali pirates by using armed guards, Cyrus Mody, a manager at the International Maritime Bureau in London, said by phone today. There have been at least three instances this year where vessels have been subjected to repeat attacks, he said.
‘Bad Choice’
Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, the Fifth Fleet’s commander, said today’s incident was an example of the “multi-layered” defense the international shipping community and world’s militaries are taking against pirate attacks.
“Some pirates made a bad choice” today, Gortney told reporters at the Pentagon.
The Maersk Alabama was a “very hard target,” he said. In addition to a security team, the vessel is equipped with water cannons, barbed wire and a “Long Range Acoustic Device” capable of emitting painful, high-frequency sounds, Gortney said.
“It can be used as a big loudspeaker or you can turn it up and it causes discomfort,” he said. The Maersk Alabama’s crew employed the device but it “proved ineffective,” Gortney said.
The nearest military vessel from the coalition contributing anti-piracy forces was “probably” 200 to 300 nautical miles away, he said.
Gortney said today’s successful defense may prompt pirates to bring stronger firepower to future attempts.
Anti-Piracy Measures
Strengthening anti-piracy measures in the Gulf of Aden “has moved the problem to the east coast of Somalia,” Mody said. “It’s too large an area to try to police and patrol.”
Global piracy attacks so far this year exceeded the total for 2008 after a surge in incidents off the cost of Somalia, according to the bureau. The number of assaults in the Indian Ocean off the Horn of Africa nation more than tripled to 47, from 12 in the same period a year earlier, it said on Oct. 21.
The European Union Naval Force Somalia said it has dispatched a maritime patrol aircraft to the scene of the attack on the Alabama to search for the pirates and “neutralize the area.”
The Alabama is owned by Copenhagen-based A.P. Moeller- Maersk A/S, the world’s biggest container shipper.
Source: Bloomberg
